Newberry in Newberry County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Old Court House

By Mike Stroud, September 2008

1. Old Court House Marker

Inscription.

Old Court House. . . Designed by Jacob Graves and built by John Damron, Newberry County's fourth court house was erected in 1852. It replaced an earlier building on this site which was probably designed by Robert Mills. The Old Court House is now used as a community hall. The bas-relief, added by Osborne Wells, is said to depict the Prostrate State held by the Federal eagle, the gamecock defiantly representing the Spirit of South Carolina.

Designed by Jacob Graves and built
by John Damron, Newberry County's
fourth court house was erected in
1852. It replaced an earlier building
on this site which was probably designed
by Robert Mills. The Old Court House
is now used as a community hall.
The bas-relief, added by Osborne Wells,
is said to depict the Prostrate State
held by the Federal eagle, the
gamecock defiantly representing
the Spirit of South Carolina.

Erected 1970 by Newberry Civic League. (Marker Number 36-4.)

Location. 34° 16.469′ N, 81° 37.199′ W. Marker is in Newberry, South Carolina, in Newberry County. Marker is on Caldwell St. near Main Street, on the right. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1207 Caldwell St, Newberry SC 29108, United States of America.

Regarding Old Court House. The Old Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1971 (Building - #71000791) It was designed by Jacob Graves and built by James Damron.Newberry Historic District **
(added 1974 - Newberry County - #74001870)
Also known as See Also:Old Courthouse;Newberry Opera House
Bounded roughly by Friend, College, McKibben, and Harrington Sts., Newberry
(20 acres, 5 buildings, 1 object)
♦ Historic Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
♦ Architect, builder, or engineer: Unknown
♦ Architectural Style: Romanesque
♦ Area of Significance: Military, Architecture
♦ Period

By Mike Stroud, September 27, 2008

3. Old Court House

In an allegorical representation of the "Scales of Justice," the American eagle (the Federal Government) grasps an uprooted Palmetto tree (South Carolina) in an attempt to balance a gamecock (the still-defiant citizens) and a dove with an olive branch (peace).

Additional comments. 1. Old Court House, NewberryThe Old Court House at Newberry, erected 1852, was designed by Jacob Graves and built by James Darmon. An outstanding example of Greek revival architecture in stuccoed brick, the building has six fluted, Tuscan columns which support a massive, triangular pediment. Intricate, Doric entablature includes: friez design of alternating triglyphs and undecorated metopes; regulas of architrave and mutules of cornice decorated with guttae. Stairway with ironwork railings leads from street level to second floor porch. Symmetrically spaced on second level are two windows and three entrances. Each entrance is a double three-panel door.

During Reconstruction (1880), Osborne

By Brian Scott, November 1, 2008

4. Old Court House - Front (Northeast ) Elevation

The Newberry Opera House tower can be seen in the right distance.

Wells, an ardent Southerner, was assigned the task of remodeling the court house. Well’s additions included two-columned porticos at side entrances and a bas-relief mounted on the frontal pediment. This depicts the spirit of the prostrate state: a U.S. eagle holds an uprooted palmetto tree in its talons; perched upon the tree roots, is a gamecock crowing defiantly; at top of three a dove bears an olive branch.

Significance
Architecturally, the Old Court House is a physical document of the graceful, antebellum era and the difficult years of Reconstruction. The building’s elaborate detail and massive proportions attest to the affluence of pre-Civil War Newberry County. Its eye-catching bas-relief remains as a reminder of the spirit of South Carolinians during the bleak period of Reconstruction.

This building, the fourth in a series of five Newberry County Court Houses, was used for court sessions between 1852 and 1906. Presently, the Social Security Office and County Development Board occupy the first floor. Restoration of the upper floor for adaptive use as a community hall includes kitchen equipment, air-conditioning, heating, repainting. (Source: National Register nomination form.)

— Submitted August 9, 2009, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on September 29, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,009 times since then and 21 times this year. Last updated on June 4, 2009, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on September 29, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. submitted on November 3, 2008, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.

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